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Has some engaging and worthwhile with some really good writing from a class of mixed lower ability and international students. with a mixture of cultures in the classroom we found everyone began on an equal footing, knowing almost nothing of the agfhani setting. The brighter students found it satisfying to.
Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold
I am about to teach Lovely Bones – the novel, for the second year at Year 12. It has some beautiful language, and the unique point of view enabled the students to write really good essays. Also the characters are accessible. I had to do a lot of pre-teach re time and place – set in the 1970s and the students found that interesting – the advent of feminism etc. The proof will be when the external results come back.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini
Dracula
Bram Stoker
1984
George Orwell
I taught it in Year 10 last year (only extracts - EFL class) and they found it fascinating! We saw it in parallel with Huxley's Brave New World in the general context of "the future" and both lead to very interesting discussions.
Tin Soldiers
Ian Bone
The 5 People You Meet In Heaven
Mitch Albom
The Land
Mildred D Taylor
A Lesson Before Dying
Ernest Gaines
A Gathering of Old Men
Ernest Gaines
In my Father's House
Ann Rinaldi
Kindred
Octavia Butler
All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
Montana 1948
Larry Watson
Angela's Ashes
Frank McCourt
Black Swan Green
David Mitchell
Golden Deeds
Catherine Chidgey
Falling
Anne Provoost
The Chocolate War
Robert Cormier
This is a great book, it's short and quick to read but does deal with unpleasant topics - power, manipulation and control, with a horrible ending, but has really good stuff to write about in external exams. Also deals with an individual trying to disturb the universe and take control over their own choices and destiny. Great parallels to American politics of the time 1960/70s and how people lost their trust in people of authority. I have taught it 7/8 times and had good results (always some excellence's) Pink Monkey has some really great purchasable notes on it.
Tu
Patricia Grace
My Sister's Keeper
Jodi Picoult
How I Live Now
Meg Rosoff
Winterdance
Gary Paulsen
Compulsion
Tania Roxborogh
In my Father's Den
Maurice Gee
Tin Soldiers
Ian Bone
House Of Tomorrow
Claire Lorrimer
Looking For Alaska
John Green
Smashed
Mandy Hagar
Q & A
Vikas Swarup
Sanctuary
Kate de Goldi
The Crush
Scott Monk
The Bean Trees
Barbara Kingsolver
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
Taught it this year for the first time with my Year 12’s they loved it. They are an average class and they coped well with it. Lots to delve into for a variety of levels, would definitely teach again.
I think I would put all his texts at level 2, but Book Thief can certainly stretch into year 13. But read them, if you want some short and amazingly clever examples of use of personification / metaphor they are jam packed with incredibly refreshing and original writing. I am awed by this writer!
We are teaching it to 13ENB - a lower tier year 13 achievement standard class, (one that misses out Shakespeare). It has been fantastic in terms of engagement and response.
Touching the Void
Joe Simpson
Genesis
Bernard Beckett
Looking for Alaska
John
I have read it, as has my son who is a reluctant reader and we both enjoyed it a lot. It does deal with drugs, sex and suicide so could be considered controversial, I guess. However, it is also extremely well written and has a number of ideas that are worth exploring.
Green
I have taught this book to a lower year 12 and the boys loved it, because it
gets to the point of what life is and deals with many teenage issues. The
girls like it too and I had a good pass rate.
You Against Me
Male and female main characters. His sisters says she was raped; Her brother said she asked for it. Very, very cool and raises lots of questions about consent, secrets, family loyalty, parental response etc etc
Go Ask Alice
We are not teaching Shakespeare to our year 12's this year so I've decided
to do Go Ask Alice to a mixed to low ability class.
Sleepers
Works well as there is a film you can bribe them with. Our boys have responded positively to it.
Jolt
Brenard Becket
Anita and Me
Meera Syal
The Great Gatsby
F.S. Fitzgerald
My EFL students all fell in love with the beautiful language of this wonderful book and they were touched by the pessimistic message about the death of the American Dream. We had seen the (modern) movie before, which made them want to read the whole thing.
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